SSS Class Awakening: I Can Forge My Beast Soul Avatars
Chapter 10: Forge Space

Chapter 10: Forge Space

He first had to enter the Soul Forge.

That was the immediate problem; he had managed to successfully pull it off the first time because of the raw pull of the awakening ceremony, but now he had no idea how to trigger that state at will.

’Alright, let’s test something out,’ he thought, adjusting his posture. ’I’ll try closing my eyes and willing myself into it. Maybe that will work.’

Glancing around the room, he noted that everyone’s attention was still firmly captured by Mr. Crosswell’s lecture. Then facing his desk, he shut his eyes tightly and concentrated.

’Think. Think of the void. I should be able to pull myself back there just like I did during the ceremony. Think of the dull brown sphere.’ He told himself, his focus entirely on his thoughts, the lecture slowly becoming background noise.

He gave it everything he had, waiting for that sudden, violent tug on his consciousness, but it never came.

He tried again, and then again, refusing to give up until his stubborn focus finally paid off. Quite suddenly, his consciousness submitted to the deep fall, letting the familiar sensation of weightlessness drag him under.

The descent took a moment, but the terrifying feeling of an endless drop vanished much quicker this time.

When Atlas hit the ground, he caught himself like a cat, rolling across the hard surface and rising to his feet in one sleek, practiced movement.

As he slowly opened his eyes, a small smirk played on his lips as he faced the darkness. "I don’t usually get fooled twice."

He stared into the abyss, noting that it didn’t feel nearly as terrifying as it had the first time.

[Welcome to the Soul Beast Forge Space] the system welcomed.

The shadows stretched endlessly in every direction, making him feel as though he had been dropped into the middle of an infinite world stripped of stars, sky, and earth alike.

In the far distance, right at the center point of the expanse, the brown sphere rotated lazily, its dull colors spinning quietly without affecting anything in its immediate surroundings.

Then, a thin golden line ignited directly beneath his boots, startling him out of his tracking thoughts.

Atlas instinctively stepped back, his breath hitching and his eyes wide as a sudden spike of adrenaline shot through his veins.

The glowing line spread across the obsidian floor like flowing liquid gold, branching into countless smaller streams that raced outward into the dark.

One after another, more lines ignited, weaving together into a massive, pulsing network of glowing veins carved into the stone.

The golden light throbbed rhythmically, mimicking a heartbeat or blood flowing through living arteries.

Signifying the entire world had just awakened.

A deep, mechanical hum echoed throughout the chamber as the darkness around him began to retreat. It wasn’t disappearing entirely; rather, it was simply moving back to reveal what had been hidden all along.

Atlas froze, his breath catching in his throat as his heart slowed to a heavy, stunned thud.

"...No way," he whispered.

Before him stood a colossal circular chamber.

The ceiling disappeared into darkness hundreds of feet overhead, supported by massive stone pillars that rose from the floor like the trunks of ancient trees.

Each pillar was engraved with strange symbols that shimmered with a soft blue light, while floating motes drifted lazily through the air like glowing dust.

The place didn’t feel built by human hands; it felt grown, as though an entire civilization had been intricately carved right into the heart of his soul.

"This... is inside me?" Atlas murmured, his emerald eyes widening further as he took in the impossible scale of the environment.

A calm, feminine voice answered him, carrying neither warmth nor coldness. It simply existed, echoing from everywhere at once.

[Welcome, Atlas. Welcome to the Inner Sanctum.]

Immediately following the announcement, dozens of soft lights illuminated the enormous chamber, revealing pathways, platforms, balconies, and bridges.

While a significant portion of the structures remained swallowed by the distant darkness, a translucent blue screen materialized directly before his face.

[Soul Forge Initialization]

Current Authorization: Beginner Forger

* Accessible Facilities: Status Console, Central Forge, Inventory Storage, Tutorial Guide

* Locked Facilities: Blueprint Library, Evolution Tree, Forge Archive, Soul Market, Avatar Fusion Chamber, Simulation Grounds]

Atlas stared blankly at the floating list, thoroughly confused by what it all implied. "...This isn’t a dream, is it?"

He reached out, his fingers instinctively brushing against the floating screen. The interface dissolved into tiny blue particles at his touch, proving its tangible reality. "...It’s real."

His gaze slowly wandered toward the center of the gigantic chamber, locking onto something impossible to ignore: the Forge itself.

It rested upon a raised circular platform reached by broad stone steps. Unlike an ordinary blacksmith’s forge, this structure resembled an enormous, futuristic operating theater.

Three massive metallic rings floated around its center, slowly rotating in opposite directions.

Each ring was covered in countless glowing runes, releasing faint streams of golden light that flowed into the circular platform beneath with every rotation.

Above the platform floated dozens of strange silver instruments, one of which he recognized as it was a domestic instrument as well.

Needles, scalpels, forceps, mechanical arms, and floating crystal lenses drifted silently in the air, patiently waiting for a command.

Atlas cautiously climbed the steps.

The moment his boots touched the platform, the floating instruments trembled slightly and turned toward him in unison, like ancient craftsmen greeting their master after centuries of waiting.

"That’s a little creepy," Atlas muttered.

[The Soul Forge Lab awaiting instructions,] the feminine voice responded immediately.

Atlas looked around the empty platform. "So... this is where I create the beasts?"

He half-expected an explanation, but the robotic voice remained silent at his question.

He chuckled awkwardly, stepping back down the stone stairs. "...Guess that’s a yes."

Jokingly, Atlas poked one of the floating scalpels, and it immediately floated away.

"...Rude."

Turning his attention elsewhere, he noticed a massive stone pillar standing near the entrance. Unlike the rest of the structure, its surface constantly shifted with glowing blue words that moved like water.

As Atlas approached, the text reorganized itself into a clear directory.

[SOUL FORGE DIRECTORY]

* Central Forge [Unlocked]

* Status Console [Unlocked]

* Inventory [Unlocked]

* Tutorial [Unlocked]

* Blueprint Library [Locked]

* Evolution Tree [Locked]

* Forge Archive [Locked]

* Soul Market [Locked]

* Avatar Fusion Chamber [Locked]

* Simulation Grounds [Locked]

Each title pointed toward a different hallway extending from the main chamber, though most of those corridors remained pitch black.

Atlas frowned, crossing his arms. "...Looks like the whole place is here, I just don’t have the permission to access it all yet."

His eyes wandered toward one of the dark corridors where a gigantic silver gate stood barred by two enormous, crossed chains.

As he stepped closer to read the inscription — Simulation Grounds — but the chains flared with a harsh crimson light.

[Access Denied.]

[Requirement: Forge First Beast.]

"Figures," he muttered, turning away to explore the rest of the perimeter.

Farther ahead stood another enormous structure that resembled a gigantic tree, though it wasn’t made of wood.

Its massive trunk shimmered like polished silver, and thousands of tiny, glowing branches stretched upward into the overhead darkness.

Every branch ended with an empty, leaf-shaped crystal, none of which were illuminated. Above the structure floated elegant, glowing letters reading "Evolution Tree."

The moment his fingertips came close to a branch, the entire tree dimmed in warning, flashing a brief [Locked] notification.

Nearby stood an endless wall of bookshelves containing millions of books.

Some were no larger than his hand, while others stood taller than a grown man, and every single one was chained shut.

Only a single shelf emitted a faint glow that could easily be missed if one wasn’t paying close attention.

Three books rested there, detailing the anatomy of a rabbit, a wolf, and a boar. Above the shelves, the words Blueprint Library shone softly.

Atlas swallowed hard, a dramatic sigh escaping him.

"...So I actually have to study biology and anatomy? Seriously? Guess skipping classes isn’t going to be an option." A faint, genuine chuckle escaped his lips.

For the first time since arriving at the academy, he smiled. It wasn’t because his life had suddenly become easier, but because he finally possessed something that truly belonged to him — this impossible, magnificent workshop hidden within his own soul.

His gaze returned to the gigantic forge standing proudly at the center of the chamber.

Countless mysteries still waited beyond those locked doors, countless beasts had yet to be born, and endless possibilities slept within these silent halls.

"...One day, I’ll unlock every single one of them," he vowed.

His footsteps echoed softly as he climbed the central platform once more. As he stepped onto the workstation, the runes engraved across its surface flared to life, and the system responded.

[Soul Forge Lab Activated.]

The floating instruments slowly arranged themselves around the empty forging table as a translucent screen materialized above it.

[Current Soul Essence: 45/100]

[Required Soul Essence: 100]

[Status: Insufficient energy.]

Atlas frowned, his shoulders slumping. "So I can’t even start creating a beast just yet?."

Almost immediately, another notification quietly appeared beneath the error message.

[Soul Essence Regeneration]

* Rate: +5 per hour

* Estimated time until sufficient Soul Essence: 11 Hours Remaining]

"Eleven hours?" Atlas groaned. "So the tutorial was never meant to begin right away."

On second thought, it made sense. If the Forge could literally create life from scratch, it would be absurd if a dormant-rank novice could use it endlessly from day one.

Still, waiting eleven hours felt agonizing with the workshop right in front of him.

Just as he reached out to touch the edge of the forging table, a distant, muffled voice echoed through the chamber.

"...Atlas..."

He froze, straining his ears as the voice called out again, sounding far away and distorted.

"...Atlas..."

Suddenly, the grand workshop around him began to ripple like disturbed water, and the golden lights flickered violently.

"...Atlas!" The voice became sharp, commanding, and urgent.

The entire Soul Forge blurred instantly as his consciousness was violently yanked out of the void and slammed back into his physical body.

The floating tools, the towering pillars, and the glowing forge all dissolved into a haze of golden particles.

"Atlas!"

His vision snapped back into focus, and he realized a face was suddenly inches away from his own.

Instinctively jerking backward in panic, his chair tipped over with a loud crash.

"Wha—?!"

"...Ow!" Atlas groaned, landing flat on his back on the hard classroom floor. He rubbed the back of his head as a massive wave of laughter erupted throughout the room.

Standing directly above him was Mr. Crosswell, looking down with one eyebrow raised and his arms folded over his chest.

"What exactly are you thinking about so deeply, young man?" the teacher asked, his tone dry. "I’ve been calling your name for almost a full minute."

Atlas blinked repeatedly, his heart still racing from the abrupt transition.

The Soul Forge was gone, replaced once more by the dusty chalkboard, the rows of desks, and the amused faces of his new classmates staring down at his blunder.

A bead of sweat rolled slowly down his temple as he realized his mistake. ’Shit... I am in serious trouble.’